vox populi small thumbnail'Some quarters are saying that PAS is courting him so he will be a likely election candidate and with his youth and charisma, one can be sure that he will bring in the votes. So who gains and who loses if he is not stopped?'

Ex-Perlis mufti freed on bail: Jais feels the heat?

P Dev Anand Pillai: This arrest seems to be more of the work of a hidden hand from the ruling party in the federal government as opposed to any exercise of power by the state government.

Some quarters are saying that PAS is courting him so he will be a likely election candidate and with his youth and charisma, one can be sure that he will bring in the votes. Further he seems to be a liberal as opposed to the traditional old school when it comes to the clergy.

So who gains and who loses if he is not stopped? It will not take a rocket scientist to note who are the culprits behind this abuse of power and further, since when on earth did the police, Islamic Affairs Department and Syariah Court officials act with this speed?

The directions must be coming from some quarter at the federal seat of power in Putrajaya.

Michael Martin: What a joke. Arrest a man first, then try to establish what he has done wrong and then what to charge him with! What kind of country is this?

Jimmy Ng: This is comical indeed and it can only happen in Boleh-land. They arrested him but couldn't decide what to charge him with? In other words, they could not decide what crime he had committed.

But they will decide later? What was more shocking was that they arrested him first. No wonder Malaysia's justice system is one of the laughing stocks of the world. A world-class comedy act indeed.


Budget 2010: Confusion is telling and troubling

Kazakh47: For Malaysia, to achieve a high-income economy just like in Europe and the other advanced countries, a meritocracy-based education system is the way to go.

There's no other way around this most important requirement. But with our present ‘double standard' system of government under the BN regime, I am very sure, in fact 100 percent sure, that a high-income economy is an impossible target.

The only high-income group here are the cronies and the ‘pembodek' and the corrupt. They are the one stealing our country's wealth, taking all what belong to us all.

Bosco Philip Anthony: The 2010 budget which makes provisions to become a ‘high-income economy' is not premised on increasing the income of the general working populace.

It does not contain any substance as to how our economy is to be transformed where the people's skills will be enhanced to enable them to jointly participate and reap the benefits of a higher income being awarded for their required services.

We can only become a ‘high income economy' when we give recognition to meritocracy without regard to race, culture and religion and hold in gross contempt mediocrity in all institutions, which include the government.


Do away with parental consent forms, says MIC

Yuvan: All parties involved in the safety of children should look at this issue holistically. Doing away with consent forms and liability waivers to be signed by parents of children involved in extra-curricular activities is not the solution.

It will not necessarily increase the liability and responsibility of the organisers or coordinators of such activities. The important thing is to thoroughly ensure that the organisers of extra-curricular activities (especially activities conducted externally and far away from the children's school) are competent and experienced and they have all the safety procedures in place.

While the parents can give their consent, the organisers can be made to give an undertaking to the parents via the school or the educational institution's management that they have all the safety procedures in place.

And that they will be responsible for any untoward incidents if it is proved that such incident happened due to their negligence and/or breach of safety regulations.


Test for 1M'sia: Revoke 'Allah' ban

Hovid: ‘Allah' is the standard Arabic word for ‘God'. Arabic-speakers of all Abrahamic faiths, including Christians and Jews, use the word ‘Allah' to mean ‘God'.

The Christian Arabs of today have no other word for 'God' than 'Allah'. Even the Arabic- descended Maltese language of Malta, whose population is almost entirely Roman Catholic, uses ‘Allah' for 'God'.